Members of the UK Meteor Observation Network (UKMON) took advantage of the clear weather to snap the meteor from a number of different locations at about 2am on April 20.

The group’s camera network recorded black and white images of the astonishing fireball, which would have made a dramatic sight on a dark night.

It shone with an "intense" light which may even been bright enough to cast a shadow.

The astronomical group posted several pictures of the fireball to its Twitter account and Church Crookham resident Peter Campbell-Burns, a volunteer with UKMON, said it was unusual to see such a bright meteor.

It is believed the unusual spectacle was caused by magnesium in the meteor.

Mr Campbell-Burns said the latest meteor appeared at 1.51am with its journey across the sky lasting almost four seconds.

“This was a very bright fireball,” he added.

“Meteors as big and as bright as this are rare but not exceptional, but for my camera to have captured two such bright fireballs as this just a month or so apart is very unusual.

“It was recorded by a number of cameras in the UKMON camera network as far apart as Fleet, Wilcot (Wiltshire), Clanfield (South Downs) and Sidmouth (Devon), although only Sidmouth captured the entire trail.

“We have yet to gather all the data and do a proper analysis but early indications are that it is a ‘sporadic’ ie it was a random meteor not associated with known meteor showers.

“It was certainly bright - looking at the images it would seem that the meteor passed right over Hampshire.”

Mr Campbell-Burns thinks the fireball was possibly cometary debris.

“Meteors of solar system origin will enter earth’s atmosphere at anything from 12 kilometres per second to over 70 kilometres per second,” he added.

“Ablation, when the trail is visible, can start at over 110km above the atmosphere.”

Mr Campbell-Burns said recording these meteors is ‘a bit like fishing’.